CrissCross Crisis
by X-Chick303
Summary: When getting a mystical crystal away from a witch named Mage, the team ends up switching powers. Aqualad is left unaffected... or is he? Based off of Teen Titans Go!#24
1. We Have a Problem

**I based this story off of Teen Titans Go! issue number 24. In that issue, a weird crystal causes the team to switch powers. I thought it woul be cool to apply the story to the Team.**

**Mage, the witch in this story, is an OC. Hope you like her.**

* * *

_**Happy Harbor Museum of Natural History, 6:32 pm.**_

"Put your hands where I can-", the security guard tried to shout.

"_Transformar nunha estatua_!", the girl shouted, sticking her hands out in front of her.

A grey frost crept the guard's body. He was now a stone statue.

The girl walked up to the statue, and knocked on his head. She looked down at the silver-colored Egyptian Mau at her feet.

"In fairness, I did do what he said.", the girl snickered.

The cat meowed in agreement.

The girl looked about fifteen, had shoulder length blonde hair with violet lowlights, and green eyes. On her forehead was a weird symbol that looked like the letter 'C' with a bunch of dashes through it. The girl was wearing a black v-neck mini-dress with long bell sleeves and a hood. The hem of the dress was bordered with a sliver flame pattern. The bottom of her sleeves had the same pattern. Under the dress she wore black short-shorts. Around her waist was a big brown leather belt with a gold buckle. On her feet she wore silver boots, one going up to her knee, the other stopping just above her ankle. On her hands were black fingerless gloves.

She strolled into the Gems and Minerals exhibit, and walked up to a display that held a medallion. It had a gold chain, with a bright red stone in the middle.

She smiled, then placed her hand against the glass. "_Hapur._"

Red energy emitted from her hand, and her hand went through the mini-portal that was now in the glass. She grabbed the necklace.

"Like taking candy from a baby.", she snickered. Then she paused, looked at her cat, and asked, "Was that too cliché?"

The cat meowed.

"You're right, Belladonna. It was appropriate."

The young lady snapped her fingers, and a red portal appeared beneath her feet. The portal rose up over her body, and she immediately was in a different place. It looked like a warehouse, with a strange runes painted on the floor.

She stepped into the middle the the runes. "Let's get this party started. _Adj ere_-"

"_Roolf, worht reh edisa_!"

The floor rose up, throwing the girl and her cat into a wall.

The girl scrambled to her feet, throwing off her hood. "Great. There are only two people I know who use magic like that. Zatara and his little brat."

"Aren't you the smart one.", Zatanna said, stepping into view. "I'm surprised to see you, Mage. Considering how last time you showed your face around here, my father sent tail-spinning into five dimensions."

Mage shrugged. "What can I say? I'm obstinate." Her hand began to crackle with red energy. "But I've been at this for years. What's a novice like you going to do to a a professional mistress of Chaos like me?"

Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Okay, one; you are not a mistress of chaos. You dabbled in in the dark arts and you're cocky. Two, I may be a novice, but I brought friends._ Tel ym maet raeppa_!"

With puffs of smoke, the rest of the Team appeared.

Mage looked a little less cocky. But that moment of doubt quickly vanished. "You think a bunch of magic-less hacks can stop me?"

"Hey, Aqualad has magic.", Robin argued.

"Atlantean magic doesn't count!", Mage argued back.

"Who's this girl again?", Superboy asked.

"Her name is Mage. She's a teenaged girl with magic and thinks it's funny to cause pain and suffering.", Zatanna replied. "Though, she's usually not much of a threat..."

"Enough talk!", Mage shouted. She glared at Zatanna. "You think you're so great, don't you. Little Miss 'I Can Speak Backwards on Whim.' Well, two can play at that game, sister!"

She pointed a finger at Belladonna. "_Ekat ruoy eurt mrof, annodalleB_!"

The cat's body began to glow, and under a minute, she became a humanoid were-cat.

Mage pointed to the ground. "_Htrae emoc ot ym dia_!"

The ground swelled, and from it came rock monsters.

"Sic 'em!", Mage commanded.

Belladonna roared, then attacked. She was about to tackle Kid Flash, but Miss Martian telepathically threw her against the wall. The rest of team began to focus on the rock monsters.

"Is it just me, or do we fight evil magical teenagers a_ lot_?", Artemis said, shooting an arrow at one of the monsters.

"It's seems to be that way.", Kid Flash said.

Aqualad blasted water at Belladonna. "Who is going after Mage?"

To answer that, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Zatanna were chasing Mage. She was running back toward the center of the big room.

Superboy jumped in her way. "You're not going anywhere, witch."

"I prefer 'sorceress' myself.", Mage argued. With that, her fingers morphed into long talons made of metal. She slashed Superboy across the chest. He shouted in pain.

"Last time I checked, weren't Kryptonians vulnerable to magic?", Mage taunted.

"_Tleb emoceb sdnob_!", Zatanna shouted.

Mage's belt melted, then reformed as ropes.

"Is Superboy okay?", Zatanna asked.

Miss Martian looked at the wound. "It didn't penetrate too deep. He'll be fine."

The witch ripped off her bonds and screamed, "BELLADONNA!"

Oh, right. The cat. Miss Martian had forgotten about her.

Belladonna and a rock monster came bounding over.

"Miss M, Superboy, take the cat and the rock. I'll handle Mage.", Zatanna said.

The two nodded and began to fight the cat and the rock creature.

Soon, everybody was fighting. Zatanna and Mage were throwing spells at each other left and right, while the rest of the team took on the monsters and Belladonna.

Finally, Robin threw a disc through the head of the last rock monster, and Artemis trapped Belladonna with a net.

"Is everybody okay?", KF asked.

Everybody was. Superboy brushed some cat hair off his arm, muttering, "I _hate_ cats."

"You hate everything.", Artemis pointed out.

"Enough chatter. Where's Zatanna?", Aqualad asked.

Zatanna was still fighting Mage, pushing her toward the center of the room.

"_Evohs ffo_!", Zatanna shouted. Mage was sent flying, right smack dab into the middle of the room, landing on her face.

The team surrounded her.

"Nowhere to run, Mage.", Aqualad said.

"True.", Mage said, standing up and wiping the blood from her bleeding lip. She took out the medallion and it levitated over her head. "But who's running?"

The runes on the ground began to glow a deep crimson color. Then Mage began to chant.

"_Adj erejüket, a test és a lélek__! Adj erejüket, a test és a lélek__! Adj erejüket, a test __és a léle_k!"

She kept repeating this, but it seemed to take effect. Energy swirled around the medallion. Energy coming from the team's bodies!

Wind was throwing everything around. Some of the kids went flying into walls, too weak to fight. Even Aqualad was sent crashing into some boxes.

"What.. is... she... doing?", Miss Martian struggled to say.

"I don't know, but it sure as heck hurts.", KF replied.

The team looked ready to pass out, so Robin did something crazy and unlikely to work. He took out a birdarang, and threw it at the gem with the last of his strength.

The birdarang hit the medallion's gem, fracturing it. Light spilled out of the cracks.

"No! You idiot, what have you done!", Mage shouted.

With a huge flash of light, the gem exploded.

* * *

**_Mount Justice, 6:55 pm._**

The Bio-Ship landed inside the mountain, and Black Canary was waiting for them.

When Aqualad stepped off the ship, Canary said, "Well? How'd it go?"

That was when she noticed that Aqualad had a bandage wrapped completely around his forehead. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Aqualad waved off her concerns. "I'm fine. It is not as bad as it looks."

Then she also noticed that he was holding a silver cat with bright green eyes. "Where'd you get the cat?"

He sighed. "That is a very long story."

Finally, Black Canary noticed the strangest thing of all. The kids coming out of the Bio-Ship.

Robin was dressed like a stage magician, in an outfit that looked similar to the one Zatara used to wear before he became Dr. Fate, with the top hat and everything. Instead of a domino mask, he wore dark sunglasses.

Zatanna was wearing a Robin-esque outfit, only it looked a bit more like a leotard with a cape. The outfit showed her legs, with a more feminine pair of boots on her feet. On her face was a domino mask.

Artemis was wearing a black tank top with the red Superman symbol on her chest, blue jeans, and combat boots. Instead of being in a tight ponytail, her hair was loose, falling past her shoulders.

Superboy wore what looked like a male version of Artemis's usual costume. (Meaning it wasn't as tight and covered his midriff.)

Miss Martian and Kid Flash had the most drastic changes. KF now had green skin, and wore a costume that looked similar to Miss M's stealth mode. Miss Martian had Caucasian skin, and wore a feminine version of KF's costume.

The whole team looked sheepish.

"What the _heck_ happened to them?", she squeaked.

Aqualad sighed again. "That is also a very long story."

**Part 1, done. Review!**


	2. Aqualad Tells the Whole Story

**Disclaimer: Kittens are fun. Not much of a disclaimer, but true nevertheless.**

* * *

**_Abandoned Warehouse, 20 minutes earlier_  
**

As the smoke cleared, Aqualad pushed a broken support beam off his chest. This mission hadn't gone very well.

He stood up, holding his bleeding forehead. What had been that flash of light?

"This doesn't make sense...", he said to himself. Then he called out, "Is everyone alright? Robin? M'gann? Can you hear me?"

A large piece of wall began to move, as if someone was trying to push it off.

Aqualad walked over to it. "Superboy?"

The person under the piece of wall stood up, lifting the debris high. But it sure wasn't Superboy. It was Artemis, dressed like Superboy.

"Kaldur?", Artemis said. "I feel really weird."

Aqualad remained speechless.

Artemis dropped the debris and looked herself over. "What am I wearing? I look like a cosplay Superboy!"

"Speak for yourself."

Artemis turned to see Superboy, dressed like her.

"How can you stand wearing a mask?", he asked, itching at his face.

"You get used it. Now, could somebody_ please_ tell me what's going on?", Artemis shouted.

"I'll tell you what's going on.", they heard Robin say. "I think Mage may have seriously messed up."

Aqualad, Artemis, and Superboy could see the rest of the team popping up. And they looked just as weird as the others.

* * *

Miss Martian (who no longer looked like a Martian) ran around in super-fast circles. "This is so cool!"

KF (who was green) said, "Well, at least she's happy. Look at me! I'm green!"

Miss Martian gave him a look.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that.", he said quickly. Then he shape-shifted into his old self, then Superboy, then Joe Jonas. He continued to experiment.

Zatanna looked at her cape. "A cape. I'm wearing a cape. I feel like an idiot."

"Hey, I'm wearing a top hat! If anyone looks like an idiot, it's me.", Robin said. He paused. "Wait, there's something I wanna try."

He stuck out his hands at the damage around them. "_Emertxe revoekam_!"

All rubble flew from the floor, rebuilding the warehouse around them. A minute later, it looked as good as new.

Superboy pulled an arrow from his quiver and fired it. It knocked off Robin's hat.

"Hey!", Robin protested.

Zatanna sighed. "Great. At least Aqualad is still normal."

"I still wanna know how this happened.", Artemis said.

Aqualad just sat on the ground, thinking. "Can anyone remember what happened?"

"Um, Mage was chanting in Hungarian,", Zatanna said. "In English, she was saying, 'give me their power, body and soul.' That's just a rough translation, though." She paused. "Wait, I don't speak Hungarian. How do I know what she said?'

"I know a little Hungarian.", Robin said, putting his hat back on. "At least, I used to. I don't seem to know half the things I used to know."

"But I know it now.", Zatanna said. "I know a lot of new things. Why is that?"

"If you want it in layman's terms, I think Mage's spell made us switch powers.", KF said.

"I could've told you that, Kid Dork.", Superboy said. He stopped. "Wait, am I usually that sarcastic?"

"Along with your powers, maybe some aspects of your personalities got switched as well.", Aqualad said.

"When I see that stupid blonde witch, I'm gonna tear her head off!", Artemis shouted.

"Speaking of Mage, where'd she go?", Robin asked.

"She must have ran off when her crystal exploded.", Aqualad said.

Then he noticed that something was rubbing against his leg. It was Belladonna, back in cat form.

"Wherever she went, she left her cat behind.", Robin said.

"Awesome!", Miss Martian shouted. She ran over and up the cat. "Souvenir!"

Belladonna screeched and jumped from Miss M's arms. Her tail held high, she strutted over to Aqualad, and allowed him to pick her up.

"We should get back to the cave.", Aqualad said.

* * *

**_Mount Justice, Present_**

Black Canary rubbed her temples. "Well, this is a major headache. So instead of Robin, Superboy, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Zatanna, and Artemis, we have..."

She pointed at Artemis. "... Supergirl..."

She pointed at Connor. "... Apollo..."

She pointed at M'gann. "... Miss Flash..."

She pointed at Wally. "... Kid Manhunter..."

She pointed at Zatanna. "... Robyn..."

She pointed at Robin. "... and Wiz Kid?"

Robin folded his arms. "Wiz Kid?"

"Not the point. Why weren't you affected?", Canary asked Kaldur.

Kaldur shrugged. "I am not sure. Perhaps I was out of range?"

"That must be it.", Canary sighed. "Listen, magic isn't my forte. I'll contact the League, and see what they think. Just... stay put for now."

Black Canary left the hangar bay, leaving the kids alone.

"It's official. We're on our own.", Artemis said, crossing her arms.

"Calm down, Artemis. I'm sure the League can help.", Wally said.

"Who needs the League?", M'gann said. "I think the power switch is pretty sweet."

"That's Wally talking, Meg.", Robin said. "Do really want to be Kid Mouth for the rest your life?"

"I know I wouldn't.", Connor added.

"Alright, enough!", Zatanna shouted. "We're clearly not going to figure this out in the next five minutes, but I'm sure we can reverse this. We just need to get traught and get our act together. Robin, Kaldur, and I will look at my magic texts; see if we can find anything on the crystal Mage had. As for the rest of you, you have new powers. I suggest you learn how to use them."

Everyone frowned, but went along with the plan. The team began to go their separate ways, except for Kaldur. He stared into the water of the hangar bay. Instead of his reflection, he saw a shadowy figure, smiling gruesomely.

He would've kept staring if Robin hadn't said, "Aren't you coming?"

Kaldur shook off the weird feeling. "Of course I am."

He joined Robin and Zatanna, but the shadow hadn't left the water.

**Yeah, keeping chapters short. But please, give me some_ real_ reviews! Nothing like "please continue." I will be continuing! Use sentences people! :D**


	3. Superpowers for Dummies

**Disclaimer: Too lazy to think of one. I just don't own Young Justice.**

* * *

**_Mount Justice, 7:06 pm._  
**

Since M'gann and Wally had switched powers, they thought it'd be best if they worked together on using them. They were currently in the kitchen, since M'gann now had a fast metabolism.

"Is this how you feel all the time?", M'gann asked, eating a bag of goldfish crackers. "Like you're really, really, hungry?"

Wally nodded. "More or less. You get used it after awhile, but try to avoid eating anything with sugar."

She swallowed her crackers. "Why?"

"Have you ever seen a speedster on sugar rush?", he asked. "Let me tell you this- it's not something you want to happen twice."

M'gann giggled, then got serious. "Okay, enough snacking. Since you have my powers, we'd better make sure that you're using them right."

"Okay... how are we gonna do that, beautiful?", Wally asked.

She turned around, and then lightning fast, threw a coffee mug at his face. "Think fast!"

Wally flinched, and the mug stopped an inch from his face, floating in mid-air.

He plucked the cup from the air. "Are you insane? You could've killed me! Was that payback for the flirting a minute ago, because you're dating Connor-"

"I told you to think fast.", M'gann said, interrupting. "In order to be telekinetic, you need to think fast. You got that down, so how about you show me some speed tricks?"

He sighed and set down the mug. "Well, running is easy. But stopping, on the other hand, is different story."

* * *

_**Just outside of Mount Justice, 7:13 pm.**_

Connor took aim with his bow at the target Artemis had set up. (The target was shaped like a monkey. Go figure.)

He released it, hitting the bullseye.

"How do you know which arrow is which, if they're all on your back?", he asked.

Artemis shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just memorized what went where."

Another pause. Then Connor asked, "Why did Canary call me 'Apollo'?"

Artemis answered while stretching. "In Greek mythology, Apollo was the brother of Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon and hunt. He was an archer, like her. Black Canary probably thought she was being clever."

"Do you think I'll end up being 'Apollo' forever?", Connor asked. "Because not having powers is weird."

"Well, I'm sure we can fix the switch, but I have to admit, I wouldn't mind staying Supergirl. It's cool having superpowers for a change."

To prove her point, Artemis jumped high into the sky.

"Now you're just showing off!", Connor shouted up to her.

Artemis pretended not to hear him. Because jumping this high, felt just like flying.

* * *

_**Zatanna's room, 7:30 pm.**_

"I give up!", Zatanna shouted. "We've looked in all of my books, and even father's books, but there's nothing about that crystal Mage had!"

"Was the crystal red and had a gold chain?", Robin asked.

"I'm pretty sure. Why?"

"Because I just found a picture of it in the pamphlet."

"What? Let me see that.", Zatanna said snatching away the pamphlet. Robin and Kaldur read over her shoulders.

"'Mystical Crystals that Should Really, Really Be Avoided'.", Kaldur read aloud. "Hmm. At least it's direct."

Zatanna opened the pamphlet. "It doesn't say a lot, except that the crystal is called The Gem of Champions, and was originally used by someone called the Master of the Games." She sighed and shut the pamphlet. "It's not much, but it's a start. We'll just have to keep looking."

Robin nodded. "I'll see if there's anything on this 'Master of the Games.' Maybe he's connected to Mage."

As he reached for a book, he noticed that Belladonna was asleep on it. The cat sensed his hand, woke up, stretched, and allowed Robin to scratch between her ears.

"You know, when she's not turning into a crazy were-cat, Belladonna isn't so bad.", Robin observed.

"Still, you should be careful. Belladonna is witch's familiar. They're very dangerous.", Zatanna said. "I may not know as much about magic I used to, but that's common sense."

Belladonna mewed in a very cute manner, then jumped into Kaldur's arms.

"Dangerous or not, she seems very attached to Kaldur.", Robin said.

"Probably because her master ditched her.", Zatanna said.

Kaldur smiled and pet the cat. "Perhaps."

They went back to reading, only to be interrupted by the sound of M'gann running by and crashing.

They ran out of Zatanna's room and into the hall.

"M'gann, are you okay?", Robin asked.

M'gann got off the floor. "Still working on hitting the brakes. Sorry!"

Wally flew into the hallway. "Did she break anything important?"

"No, everything's fine.", Zatanna said.

Then Artemis and Connor came running in.

"I heard a crash!", Artemis said. "Is everything alright?"

"It is nothing. M'gann is still learning how to stop.", Kaldur said.

Connor went over to his girlfriend. "We can work on that."

M'gann smiled.

"Anyway, how goes the search on returning us to normal?", Wally said. "Because, no offence to M'gann, I'm tired of being Marvin the Martian. I just want to be Kid Flash again."

"We learned a few thing about the crystal that did this, but nothing that can help change us back.", Zatanna said. "If we only we had the crystal itself. Then this would be ten times easier."

"That gets me thinking.", M'gann said. "Whatever happened to the crystal?"

"It shattered, didn't it?", Artemis said. "Shouldn't there have been shards on the ground or something?"

"The witch must've taken them.", Connor suggested. "If we find her, then we'll find the shards."

All of a sudden, Kaldur held his head, as if he had the world's worst headache.

"Hey Kaldur, are you feeling okay?", Robin asked.

"I'm fine.", Kaldur assured them. "I think it's about time I changed my bandages. Please excuse me."

Kaldur walked out of the hallway, taking Belladonna with him.

Wally crossed his arms. "Anyone else think he's acting weird?"

"His head probably still hurts. Let's just give him some space.", Robin said.

The other agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the beach outside of the mountain, a lone figure stepped out of the rolling waves. She looked miserable, and pretty mad.

"This is the place.", she said to herself. "And the jerks inside are the only people who can help me."

**Review, people!**


	4. Kaldur Joins the Dark Side

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN YOUNG JUSTICE!**

* * *

_**7:50 pm.**_

"What do you mean no one can come down to the cave and help?", Artemis yelled at the monitor. "We don't want to stay stuck like this!"

"_Calm down, Artemis. That's just Superboy's rage talking._", Canary said through the monitor. "_And if anyone could come, they would. But some sort of energy interference is keeping anyone from using the zeta tubes. Those on the Watchtower are stuck, and the energy is also keeping us from contacting any other Leaguers on missions. I'm sorry_."

The message cut off, leaving the team alone in the cave's main room.

"This is a disaster.", Zatanna said. "Heavy on the 'dis-'."

"The League can't help, we still haven't found any sign of Mage or a way to get our powers back to normal...", Robin added. "Anyone want to add something?"

"Yeah.", Connor said. "I think this mask is giving me a rash."

"And Connor has a possible rash.", M'gann finished for Robin.

"Panicking isn't gonna help anyone.", Kaldur said, still holding and stroking Belladonna. "We just need to calm down and stay put."

"I'm with Kaldur.", Wally said. "And that's just M'gann speaking, since usually my first idea would be to go find Mage this very second, and drag her back kicking and screaming."

"I'm good with that plan.", Artemis said.

"No!", Zatanna shouted. "No panicking and especially no dragging someone back here kicking and screaming. We need to come up with a _logical_ plan."

"Logical? We dealing with magic! What's logical about that?", M'gann said.

Then everyone began to argue on what to do. It got pretty loud.

Kaldur groaned and held his head, dropping the cat. This made everyone shut up out of concern.

"Kaldur? Is it your head injury?", M'gann asked.

"If it's worse then you've let on, you should tell us.", Connor said.

"No, I'm fine guys.", Kaldur said. "I just need to go lie down. C'mon, Belladonna."

Kaldur left the main room.

"I hope he's okay. Kaldur's been acting weird ever since the rest of us switched powers.", Artemis said.

"Wanna know what I noticed?", Robin said. "Kaldur's speech. Is it just me, or has he stopped sounding so proper?"

"Yeah, I've noticed that too.", Connor said. "What do you-"

"Wait, everyone stop!", Wally yelled suddenly.

"What's up, Kid?", Zatanna asked.

"I'm still new to telepathy, but I'm pretty sure someone's trying to break into the mountain."

"What should we do?", Artemis asked.

"Let him in.", Robin said. "_Redurtni raeppa erofeb su_!"

With a puff of smoke, a person appeared in the cave. The team prepared to attack.

"Wait, don't attack! It's just me!", the girl shouted.

The girl had short blonde hair, and bright green eyes, She was wearing a red one-piece bathing suit, with a mini black sarong around her waist. The sarong was affixed with an Aquaman symbol clip. She was barefoot, showing that he toes were webbed. Her fingers were webbed too, and she had strange black tattoos on her arms. On her neck was a pair of gills.

But there was no doubt about it. This girl was Mage.

"Mage?", Robin asked in a confused tone.

She waved awkwardly. "Hey."

Artemis ran over and pushed her against the wall. "You! This is all your fault!"

"_My_ fault?", Mage argued. "If you're going to blame anyone, blame Wonder Boy over there!" She pointed at Robin. "He's the one who broke the Gem of Champions! Because of that pipsqueak, I don't have my powers!"

Artemis put her down. "Excuse me?"

"Besides, I don't see what you guys have to complain about.", Mage continued, ignoring Artemis. "Look at me! I have _gills_! And don't get me started on the-"

"What do you mean 'you don't have your powers'?", Connor interrupted.

"I mean, 'I don't have my powers'! I have the fish kid's powers!", Mage shouted. "Ever since I escaped the warehouse, I have been feeling weird." She paused. "_I've_ been feeling weird._ I've_! Besides all the proper talk, I hav- _I've_ been feeling guilty about every bad thing I ha-_I've_ ever done!"

Zatanna smirked. "Oh my gosh. You have a conscience!"

"I know, it's horrible!", Mage said. "That is- _that's_ the only reason I came back here. I feel guilty about getting you all into this mess in the first place. Aqualad's personality is so honorable and polite and-"

"Take breather there, Aqualass.", Robin said. "Why should we trust you? You took the shards of the crystal."

"I am not asking you to trust me. I am-_ I'm_ asking you to trust Aqualad.", Mage said in a tone that really did sound like Aqualad. "Anyway, I do not have the crystal shards. I thought you all had them. That is- _that's_ the only reason I was able to find you guys. I followed the crystal shards' energy signatures." She held out her hand. "It's gone now, but they were definitely here."

Wally slapped his forehead. "Hello Wally!"

"What?", M'gann asked. "

"Guys, we've been missing the big picture.", Wally said. "If Mage has Aqualad's powers and personality, then what does Aqualad have?"

It took a second for this to sink in.

"OH MY GOSH!", the team shouted in unison.

* * *

**_Abandoned Warehouse, 8:05 pm._**

Kaldur staggered into the warehouse, with Belladonna close behind. He stopped once he reached the runes from earlier.

He reached into a pocket, and took out something red. The crystal shards.

"What's going on?", he whispered to himself, his voice and hand shaking.

_I think we both know the answer to that one, buddy._

Kaldur jumped a little. A voice in his head? He closed his eyes, focusing on the voice.

_He was no longer in the warehouse. He was standing in an empty place, with a grey sky and a pale, still ocean for miles around. It took him a second to realize that he was standing on top the water, as if it were solid._

_"Good. Now we can chat."_

_He turned to see a girl standing a few feet away. She looked like how Mage did when he had fought her, only this one had extra weird patterns on her face besides the mark on her forehead. And her eyes. Her eyes had red sclera, and yellow pupils/irises. She smiled smugly._

_"Mage? Is that you?", he asked._

_"Not quite.", she said. "I'm merely a mirror image of Mage's power and personality. The part that got switched."_

_He frowned and crossed his arms. "That would explain why I still want to knock you into next week."_

_"Ooh, tough guy.", the I-Mage snickered. "That doesn't sound very Aqualad-ish."_

_"Now's not a time for politeness.", Kaldur argued._

_"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, answer this question for me. Why have you been resisting me this whole time? Your team accepted the transition of power so easily. Why not you?"_

_"You are a being of Chaos magic. That's a power I do not want."_

_"Everyone wants power. Power makes the world go round. Where would Superman be without power? Or the president? Heck, without power, your king would just be a guy who could talk to fish."_

_"Leave my king out of this!", Kaldur shouted._

_"Relax, Kal. I'm just saying the truth. Personally, you do want use this power. That's why you didn't tell your friends that you had the shards, and why you cast the spell that scrambled the zeta tubes. You're just afraid of it. Octavia has always been afraid. That's why I never spoke to her. She was a lost cause.", I-Mage said._

_"Octavia?"_

_"Mage's real name. She hates it, so she never uses it. Not the point. Point is, you could be so much more, Kaldur'ahm.", I-Mage said.  
_

_She began to walk forward, and wherever her foot landed, swirls of red went through the water. Soon, she stood directly in front of him._

_"Become one with Chaos, and join the madness.", she purred, sliding her arms around his waist, bringing him into her embrace. "Do what that weakling Octavia couldn't."_

_"I do not wish to be mad.", Kaldur remarked._

_"Oh, you can't help that.", the I-Mage said, quoting a very famous book. "We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad."_

_"How do you I am mad?", Kaldur asked, watching the water around them become blood-red._

_"You must be, or you wouldn't have come here."_

Kaldur opened his eyes, and smiled sadistically. He removed the bandages from his head, revealing a familiar mark on his forehead. He snapped his fingers, and his clothes became black armor with silver flame patterns on the gauntlets.

The crystal shards floated in his hands and Belladonna mewed in pleasure.

His smile continued. "Let's get this party started."

**Am I good or what? Review!**


	5. And They Don't Have Cookies

**Disclaimer: Aqualad is evil! OH NOES!**

* * *

_**Bio-Ship, 8:07 pm.**_

"I can't believe you turned Aqualad evil!", Connor shouted.

"It was not my fault!", Mage shouted back. "Robin was the one who broke my crystal!"

There was a pause from her. "And I don't know why, but I thought this ship would be faster."

"I hope you realize that the minute we fix things, we shipping your butt off to prison.", Connor added.

Mage, instead of replying, began to pretend to be a persecutor addressing a courtroom. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. This young lady is guilty of harnessing the magic of an enchanted jewel, switching the superpowers of the Justice League's sidekicks, and her power switch with Aqualad caused him to turn evil. Which, by the way, wasn't even her fault, since the jewel was destroyed by the sidekick formerly known as Robin." She snorted. "Yeah, _that_ will hold up in court."

"Never mind that.", M'gann said, trying to ignore Mage's snarky attitude.. "If Aqualad really switched powers with you, why didn't it become obvious sooner?"

"I have to hand it to him, but he is- _he's_ a fighter.", Mage replied. "He pent up all my magic and personality inside of him, refusing to let it out. But that's the problem. When I had my powers, I let my emotions and magic flow freely. That is why I am- _I'm_ not as bad as I could be. Aqualad has been building an unstable dam for this flow. A dam that's about to to collapse."

"And when that happens?", Robin asked.

"How much is your life insurance?", Mage said, answering the question with a question.

"Kid, how goes searching for Aqualad?", Robin said quickly.

"I'm pretty sure he's back at the warehouse.", Wally, who was piloting the ship, said. "ETA in 5 minutes."

"That much pent-up power being released will be like lighting the fuse of a crazy bomb.", Mage went on. "So yeah, we should hurry."

"Mage, what can you tell us about the Gem of Champions?", Zatanna asked, changing the subject.

Mage sighed and told them as if reciting from a textbook. "The Gem of Champions was originally used by an extra-dimensional being known as the Master of the Games. He would take heroes from Earth, and pit them against each other in his Tournament of Heroes. Losers were absorbed into the gem, giving the Master all their abilities. Even the winner was absorbed in the end."

"Should we worry about this Master of the Games?", Connor asked.

"No.", she replied. "He's been dead for ages. Slain by Nabu, back in the 30s. But his crystal was put on Earth, eventually making its way to that museum I stole it from."

"What were you even planning to do with that thing, anyway?", Artemis asked.

"I was just using it to suck out any magical energy in the general area. Nothing too sinister.", she replied. "But if I had been saying the _whole_ spell, that'd be a whole other story."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?", Robin asked.

"Back when we fought, I was only saying half of the spell. I would had to have been crazy to say the whole thing."

"What does the whole spell do?

"It sucks out the life energy from everything in a 50 mile radius. But like I said, you'd have to be crazy to do that. And you would have to be more crazy to even _think_ about using the crystal, since it's now broken into eight pieces."

"Crazy like, say, Aqualad will be when his mental dam collapses?"

Mage paused to consider this, then said, "Can this thing go any faster?"

"No need to. We're here.", Wally said.

Everyone looked out the windows, and flinched. The ground below wasn't a pretty sight. The warehouse had blown up again, only now the area gave off explosive tendrils of red energy. In the middle of it all was Kaldur, looking extremely pleased with himself.

Artemis shivered. "Anybody else getting a weird chill down their backs?"

"That is the power of Chaos.", Mage said. "It is so strong in this place, even non-magical beings can feel it." She held out her hand, and a bunch of necklaces appeared in a flash of blue light. "That reminds me, we're going to need these. As long as we wear them, it'll counter the effects of Aqualad's spell and make sure our immortal souls won't get ripped out."

"Good.", Zatanna said, taking a necklace. "I like my immortal soul right where it is."

The others nodded in agreement and each took necklaces too.

Mage took out a pair of water-bearers. "Before we go out there, I hope you all realize what we are about to do. We are going to have to fight your friend."

"If fighting him means saving him, we're willing to risk it.", Connor said.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Kid Manhunter, open the bay doors.", Mage commanded.

Wally nodded and did so.

Robin looked down in the open air, smiled, and put on his top hat. "_Emitwohs._"

* * *

Kaldur smiled. The spell was going perfectly. Soon, his magic would be increased 100-fold with the life energy he would absorb. Who cared if the crystal shards were unstable and this probably blow up in his face? He was crazy enough to risk it!

"I am crazy enough to try this!", he shouted to no one in particular. "And nobody can stop me either!"

Belladonna meowed.

"No, I did not jinx it!", Kaldur argued. "Who asked for your opinion anyway?"

"I guess being proven wrong by a cat would be pretty embarrassing."

Kaldur turned to see who had spoken. It was Robin and his team.

Kaldur smirked. "Oh look, it's the Junior Justice League. Care to tell me why your life force isn't being ripped out?"

M'gann held up her necklace. "We learned to accessorize."

Kaldur raised an eyebrow. "Girl, that necklace clashes with your outfit."

That slightly girly-sounding comment made the team glare at Mage.

"What?", she said. "You have to admit, I have an excellent taste in clothes."

"Enough fashion!", Connor said. "Aqualad, you've got to snap out of this. You're our friend. We don't want to fight you."

Kaldur lowered his head, his helmet casting a shadow over his eyes. Without stopping his spell, he lowered his arms and used one hand to rub the space between his eyes. "She said you'd do this. Try to make me confused, and go back to being that uptight royal lap dog."

He raised his head toward the sky and let his arms dangle, the energy around him growing stronger. His grin grew more sadistic. "But I like being like this. Everything is more interesting. Up is down, left is right, and wrong is right. Wait, I already said _left_ was right. My bad."

"It's official.", Artemis whispered to Wally. "He's gone off the deep end."

Wally shushed her.

"Yeesh, even I wasn't _that_ weird.", Mage groaned. "I was a little eccentric, but this guy is a complete loony-tune."

Wally shushed Mage as well.

Belladonna gave a more urgent meow.

"No, I'm not babbling. I'm witty bantering. That's different.", Kaldur argued. He looked at the team in fury. "And there is no more 'Aqualad.' From now on, I am MAGUS!"

With the declaration of his new name, Kaldur released a barrage of blade-like red energy blasts. The team scattered in order to prevent being sliced like cheese.

"Team, take down Aqualad, but don't hurt him.", Zatanna said.

They dodged another blast.

"Yeah, but could you tell _him_ not to hurt _us_?", Wally pointed out.

They decided that there was no more time for talking. Everyone did their best to take Kaldur down, but his chaos magic proved to be a challenge. When Connor released a volley of arrows, Kaldur put up a shield to protect himself. When M'gann came at him, he made the rock rise to trip her. Mostly, he fire bolts of energy.

Mage and Robin ducked behind a parked car.

"For such a good magician, Aqualad has the aim of an Imperial Stormtrooper.", Mage pointed out.

"Is this really the time for a witty Star Wars reference?", Robin shouted at her. "It's your stupid crystal he's using, can't you stop it?"

"If I could, I would have stopped it already!", Mage shouted. "And he will finish the spell soon, so we need to work fast."

Robin looked at his friends. Zatanna was currently using her escrima sticks against a humanoid Belladonna, while Artemis and Wally kept trying to attack Kaldur directly. Connor and M'gann worked on fighting monsters made of energy. But it didn't look like anyone was winning.

"I have magic now. Maybe I could do something?", Robin asked.

Mage thought about it, then pounded her fist into her hand. "I got it! Here's the plan..."

* * *

Zatanna sustained another claw to the face, and was sent flying into Wally, whose back had been turned.

"Ow...", she groaned. She looked at Wally. "How's my face?"

Wally telekinetically lifted her off of him. "Fabulous. Now, get that cat!"

"How about helping me?", Zatanna shouted him.

"How about helping _me_?", Artemis yelled. A tentacle made of energy was holding her upside down.

"A tentacle, Aqualad? Really?", Connor shouted, stabbing an arrow into a creature's head.

"Why? Jealous?", Kaldur said, snapping his fingers. More tentacles appeared, wrapping themselves around the rest of the team.

"Nice going, Superboy.", M'gann said sarcastically.

"There's nothing you can do, really.", Kaldur said in a smug tone. "My spell will be complete in the next minute (unless somebody were to interrupt, then it would be ruined), and the power of the soul itself will be mine. And the five iof you are powerless to stop me... wait, did I say five?"

He counted them. "Five. There should be seven. What happened to Robin and former ne'er-do-well?"

Belladonna walked over to him and meowed.

"No, I did not lose them! Stop arguing with me, you stupid cat!"

"Hey, Wet Willie!"

He turned and saw a fist made of rock, which knocked him out of his magic circle. Kaldur dropped the crystal shards.

"Ow! That was rude!", Kaldur shouted. "Don't you know you should never interrupt a evil sorcerer's spell?"

Robin smirked. "_Tih flesruoy_!"

Kaldur punched himself in the face.

"What-", he began.

"_Tih flesruoy_! _Tih flesruoy_! _Tih flesruoy_!"

Kaldur proceeded to punch himself three more times.

"STOP IT!", Kaldur screamed. He was so angry, he lost all control. He even released the team.

"Og pmuj otni a robrah!", Robin shouted.

Kaldur levitated, and was thrown into the ocean nearby. He went under, then resurfaced while spitting out water.

"You think a little water can stop me?", Kaldur shouted.

"Of course not."

Kaldur turned again, and saw Mage standing on a water spout, thanks to her water-bearers. Her eyes and tattoos glowed bright blue, and her hair whipped around her face.

"I think a _lot_ of water will stop you.", she said. With one fluid motion, she brought a huge wave down on Kaldur. He disappeared beneath the waves.

Mage lowered herself back onto dry land. She lifted her hand, and a wave brought an unconscious Kaldur to the shore.

Robin ran over to her. "Still think the Atlantean magic doesn't count?"

She smiled. "Well... I guess it had its advantages."

The two dragged Kaldur back over to the team. Artemis was holding Belladonna in a bear-hug, while the others gathered up the crystal fragments.

"Did we win?", M'gann asked.

"We won.", Robin assured her. "Now, let's get back to the cave. We have some unscrambling to do."

**Next chapter is the last!**


	6. Promises, Promises

**Disclaimer: The dark side has no cookies. Just evil cats.**

* * *

_**Mount Justice, 8:36 pm.**_

Mage placed the crystal shards on a table. "I should be able to put them back together and fix our powers at the same time, with some help from Robin. It will not take more than a few minutes."

"Great. Could you hurry it up?", Connor said. "I don't know how much longer we can hold Aqualad."

Kaldur had regained consciousness a little while ago, and nearly turned the team into hermit crabs. Luckily, Zatanna, Connor, Wally, Artemis, and M'gann were able to hold him down and cover his mouth.

Robin picked the shards. "What do we do?"

"Take my hands.", Mage ordered.

Robin recoiled. "I have a fear of intimacy."

She thumped him on the head. "Do not be stupid. The crystal shards will levitate over our hands, and we will say the spell."

Robin took her hands, and sure enough, the shards floated. The room filled with red light.

"Repeat after me; _Szerezd vissza a dolgokat, ahogy előtte is_."

Robin nodded, and together, they said the spell.

"_Szerezd vissza a dolgokat, ahogy előtte is. __Szerezd vissza a dolgokat, ahogy előtte is. __Szerezd vissza a dolgokat, ahogy előtte is!_"

The shards fused together, and there was a bright flash. When it died down, Mage and Robin looked at each other. Mage looked ready for Halloween, and Robin was in red spandex.

"It worked!", Robin exclaimed.

"And while we're saying obvious things... Miss M is green!", Mage shouted at him.

They looked at the team. They too were back to normal. They were so happy, they got off Kaldur.

"I'm not an alien!", Wally shouted happily.

Connor and M'gann gave him a cold stare.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that.", he said quickly.

Zatanna and Artemis helped Kaldur up.

"May I ask what just happened?", he asked.

"You don't remember?", Zatanna asked.

Kaldur shook his. "We were fighting Mage in the warehouse, then nothing."

Artemis patted his back. "Don't worry. Bio-Ship recorded the whole fight on her internal cameras. We'll show you the footage later."

Mage picked up Belladonna, who had been tied to a scratching post.

"Ooh, sweetie, I missed you so much.", she cooed. "I'm so happy, I'll even forgive you for betraying me." She giggled, then got close and angry in Belladonna's face. "_This_ time."

"Mage.", Robin said. "You'd better hand over that crystal. I don't-"

"This?", she said, holding it up. She tossed it to him. "You can have it. That thing isn't _nearly_ worth the trouble. And if that's all, I'll be on my way."

She opened a portal, and right before she left, she looked at Kaldur and said, "Despite going completely nuts, you handled the chaos magic very well. We'll be in touch."

She and her cat disappeared.

"Should we go after her?", Connor asked.

"We should.", Kaldur noted. "But I really do not feel like it."

Everyone could agree with that.

* * *

Later, they showed Kaldur the footage from the fight.

He slumped on the living room couch. "Do me a favor and destroy this tape."

"It wasn't that bad.", Zatanna said, trying to cheer him up.

"Yes, it was. I nearly killed all of you."

Robin held up the crystal. "Who knew that this small thing could cause so much trouble?"

"Cool!", Wally said, snatching it. "Souvenir."

Robin glared at him, then faced Kaldur. "You weren't in control of your actions. That was all Mage back there. Just promise not to join the dark side again anytime soon, and we'll call it even."

Kaldur smiled. "Alright, I promise."

At this point, the team was so tired and happy, they group-hugged Kaldur. It just felt right.

* * *

_**5 years later**_

Nightwing stared at the red crystal. It had been in the souvenir room for a very long time.

Beast Boy walked in, carrying what looked like a small sash.

"Oh, hey Nightwing. Just putting away my latest souvenir. What are doing in here?"

"Reminiscing, I guess.", he replied.

BB looked at the crystal. "What's that thing? I've seen it a few times, but nobody will tell me what it is."

"It's nothing.", Nightwing said. "Just a broken promise."

He walked out of the room, leaving Beast Boy very confused.

**Short, but effective. Review, review, review!**


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